WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Passengers who want to take Brightline to work from Palm Beach County to Fort Lauderdale or Miami are feeling disappointed.
The company more than tripled commuter pass rates last year.
Brightline recently announced it will be bringing back lower fares, but travelers are still waiting for the lower tickets.
Investigative reporter Dave Bohman is pressing for answers on why this hasn't happened yet.
When WPTV took a look at the platform of Brightline passengers at the West Palm Beach station on Tuesday, we saw a lot of suitcases — a sign that the ridership has more tourists and fewer commuters.
Brightline's records show a steep drop in commuters between South Florida cities after it raised commuter fares last May from $400 to $1,400 a month.
"There's quite a few people who depended on it and now we're all back on the roads," said Cathy Nonnemacher, who used to commute on Brightline from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale. "Almost everybody that I know is (back) in the car."
Cathy Nonnemacher bought an SUV to make her daily commute.
She had high hopes of resuming a Brightline commute when the passenger rail company announced in a news release it would bring back commuter fares in March.
Brightline said it received a $33.8 million grant to buy more coaches for its trains.
But it's now April, and that news release has been pulled from Brightline's website.
Nonnenmacher's hopes were dashed.
"What are the chances commuter prices will come back to an affordable rate?" Bohman asked her.
"It doesn't look like ever," she replied. "I'm not counting on it. I've made other alternative arrangements."
However, a Brightline spokesperson said plans to bring back commuter rates are not dead.
"A frequent traveler program is still a part of our plans, but it has always been dependent upon us getting the additional coaches and capacity needed to support demand. Details are still in the works, and we'll roll them out soon when new train coaches arrive," Brightline said in a statement to WPTV.
Brightline has not said when the commuter fares will return or what it will cost riders.
